Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his Patanjali group are once again in legal trouble, this time in Kerala. Legal First Class Judge II in Palakkad issued bailable arrest warrants against Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna and Divya Pharmacy—the marketing arm of Patanjali Ayurveda—after they failed to appear in court on January 16. This is the first such warrant issued against the trio in Kerala and is a significant step in the ongoing legal battle against the brand’s misleading advertising claims.
The case, filed in October 2024, accuses Patanjali of promoting healthcare products with unsubstantiated claims. The notices for their products allegedly guaranteed a cure for hypertension and diabetes—a violation of the Drugs and Magic Cures (Suspicious Notices) Act, 1954. Despite court summons, none of the accused appeared for the January hearing, forcing the court to issue the warrants. The case is now scheduled for February 1 for hearing.
The deceptive advertising claims included advertising products that falsely claimed to cure diseases such as diabetes, obesity and Covid-19.
Why it matters
Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali has long been a household name in India, leveraging his popularity as a yoga guru to sell everything from home remedies to toothpaste. But controversy continues to rage over the brand’s claims. Critics argue that while Patanjali presents itself as a harbinger of the Ayurvedic tradition, it has often crossed ethical boundaries by making unsubstantiated and sometimes exaggerated health claims
The issue also raises broader questions about responsibility in the Indian advertising sector, especially for health goods. Deceptive ads can have serious consequences, especially when they exploit powerless buyers looking for quick solutions to real health problems
